


Moments That the Words Don't Reach

by GinnyK



Series: Two Lost Souls on the Highway of Life [4]
Category: NCIS
Genre: Death, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Post Ep The North Pole
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-30
Updated: 2020-01-04
Packaged: 2021-02-27 10:48:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,593
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22025833
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GinnyK/pseuds/GinnyK
Summary: Post ep for The North Pole.  Starts right where the episode ends, with Gibbs about to climb the stairs to talk to Phineas.
Series: Two Lost Souls on the Highway of Life [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1351900
Comments: 11
Kudos: 71





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Never got around to watching this episode until 10 days after it aired. This started to write itself about 10 minutes after I finished watching. Not sure where it's going or how long it will be.
> 
> Title comes from a line in the song "It's Quiet Uptown" from the musical Hamilton.

Gibbs heard the front door close behind him as he took a deep breath and started slowly up the stairs. He looked up to see Finn sitting on the top step. Knees hugged to his chest, the boy was wrapped in flannel shirt Gibbs recognized as the one he’d left on the end of his bed that morning.

“Jethro Gibbs,” he whispered as he swiped at his eyes.

“Hey Finn,” Gibbs whispered as he sat down next to his young friend. He put his arm around the boy and pressed a kiss to the top of his head. 

“Did you find my mom?” he asked quietly.

“Yeah,” Gibbs whispered. He took a breath and swallowed hard, having no idea how he was going to tell Phineas his mother was gone, and that he was the reason.

“She’s dead, isn’t she?” Finn whispered. Gibbs pulled back to look him in the eye. He just nodded. Finn scrambled to his feet and ran down the hall to what had been Kelly’s room, where he’d been sleeping 10 minutes earlier. He threw himself face down on the bed. By the time Gibbs had pushed himself to his feet and followed him, the boy was in tears, gut wrenching sobs which just tore at Gibbs’ heart. He wished he’d brought his cell phone upstairs; he had a feeling he would be needing some backup.

Gibbs sat on the edge of the bed and tentatively reached to touch the boy’s shoulder. Finn sat up a bit. He didn’t say anything, didn’t ask any questions, he just curled up in Gibbs lap and sobbed. His lack of questions was both a surprise and a relief. Gibbs wrapped his arms around the boy and they each held onto the other for dear life. Both cried for what seemed like hours. Gibbs was starting to get worried that Finn’s sobs did not seem to be slowing and the questions had not started. In fact, Finn hadn’t said anything since asking if his mom was dead.

“Gibbs,” he heard Jack’s voice floating up the stairs some time later, could have been 10 minutes or 3 hours for all Gibbs knew.

“Up here,” he said, wiping his eyes on the sleeve of his shirt. He checked the time; it had been about 45 minutes since he told Phineas the news that had shattered his little world.

“Who’s that?” Finn asked as he held on just a little tighter. While he was clearly and understandably jumpy and on edge, Gibbs was happy he’d found his voice.

“It’s Jack, from NCIS. You remember her, right?” Gibbs whispered as he brushed back the boy’s dark hair, pressing a kiss to his forehead. 

“Yeah,” Finn whispered as he loosened his grip just a little but made no effort to let go of Gibbs.

Jack appeared in the doorway, not knowing what to expect. She found the pair on the bed, Gibbs sitting against the headboard, Finn pretty much in his lap, head on Gibbs’ shoulder. The boy’s tears had slowed a little but he was still taking some halting breaths, clearly having more than a little trouble getting his breathing under control. He did manage to give her a little wave as she came into the room. 

Jack surveyed the scene in front of her with the skill set that came from years of experience in assessing such situations. Phineas was the picture of a child whose world had just been shattered. If she had to guess, this was his first real experience with death. It was also clear to her that Gibbs was feeling completely and utterly helpless, which was understandable, given the horrific circumstances. The pleading in his blue eyes told her everything. 

Jack had heard briefly what had happened at the abandoned warehouse. After Ziva called NCIS headquarters to talk to her, she was out the door and on the road to Gibbs’ house in mere minutes.

“Hey, Finn,” she whispered as she knelt down next to the bed and put a hand on his knee. “Can you do me a favor?” He just gave a little nod. “Can you sit up a little?” Finn nodded and slid off Gibbs’ lap, sitting cross legged on the side of the bed. 

“Great,” Jack said as she sat on the bed in front of him, mirroring his position. She tipped up his chin to look him in the eye. “Let’s take a few deep breaths together,” she suggested as she reached out and took his small hands in hers. “Think you can do that?” she whispered. Finn nodded just a bit. While she helped Finn get his breathing under control, Gibbs took a minute to stand up, stretch his legs and if he was being honest with himself, get his own breathing under control. He walked around to the other side of the bed, feeling helpless, guilty and a hundred other emotions he’d be hard pressed to identify. Finn kept breathing with Jack and she could tell Gibbs was breathing in time with the two of them also. “Good job,” she praised Finn as she cupped his cheek briefly and gave him a little smile. He let go of her hands and pulled the sleeves of the shirt over his hands, balling them in his lap. “Hey Gibbs, can you get some tissues and a wet cloth for me?” she asked over her shoulder, glancing at him as he sat on the window seat looking out the window. 

“Yeah,” he muttered, happy for something to do.

“Mom’s dead,” Finn whispered as he wiped his eyes and nose on the shirt sleeve which was still pulled over his hand.

“I know,” Jack replied simply, waiting to see if the boy would continue the conversation. He didn’t, but given the circumstances, she wasn’t all that surprised or concerned.

“Here,” Gibbs said as he came back in the room with a box of tissues, a cool, wet washcloth and a cup of water. Finn took a few tissues and blew his nose before letting Jack wipe his face a little. He took the cup from Gibbs but was pretty shaky and ended up with a good deal of it spilled down the front of him.

“Sorry,” he muttered as fresh tears sprang to his eyes.

“Hey, buddy, it’s fine, it’s just water,” Gibbs assured him as he handed the cup to Jack who picked up the rest of the stuff and took it to the bathroom. “You have another shirt in your backpack, right. We’ll just get you changed.” Finn nodded as Gibbs grabbed the boy’s blue backpack off the window seat and found another t-shirt. Finn took the shirt and went to the bathroom to change.

Once in the hallway Gibbs leaned against the wall, unsure how long he was going to remain upright. Jack found him there and gently tugged on his hand to get him to step into his room for a minute. She wrapped her arms around him and rubbed his back a bit. “How are you?” she asked quietly.

“Doesn’t matter,” he said in a full expected clipped tone. “What matters is that poor kid,” he muttered, hitching his thumb in the direction of the hallway.

“Okay, how much does he know?” Jack asked as she maneuvered Gibbs over to the side of the bed as she was truly worried about his ability to remain standing at the moment. He took her silent suggestion and sat down with a heavy sigh. 

“Only that his mom is dead. He hasn’t asked questions at all. Hell, he hasn’t said more than a dozen words since I told him,” Gibbs whispered, his frustrations coming out loud and clear even in his quiet response. 

“He’s in shock. It’s normal. Let him take things at his own pace,” Jack assured him as she stood between his knees and leaned over to press a kiss to his forehead. At the moment she wasn’t sure who she was more worried about, Gibbs or Phineas.

“Jethro Gibbs,” came a little voice from the hallway. Finn stood in the doorway, holding the flannel shirt he’d been wearing which was now rather damp. His hair was sticking up in all directions and his eyes still shimmered with unshed tears but at least he seemed to be a bit more responsive than he had been a few minutes earlier.

“Hey, come on in,” Gibbs said as he held out his hand to the boy. 

“I’m going to go downstairs and put on some tea,” Jack said as she patted Gibbs on the shoulder and ruffled Finn’s dark hair.

“You can toss that in there,” Gibbs said as he pointed to the flannel shirt Finn was holding and then to the wicker basket in the corner which served as his hamper. It was as usual, about to overflow. Finn hesitated just a bit, hugging the plaid shirt to his chest. “There’s another one hanging on the back of the door, why don’t you grab that one,” Gibbs said with a smile as he realized Finn’s reluctance to give up the shirt. Finn tossed the damp one in the corner and pulled the blue plaid one off the hook. He was obviously swimming in it but didn’t care at all. “Come here,” Gibbs motioned to the boy. Finn stood in front of his knees and Gibbs rolled up the sleeves as best he could. “Between you and Jack, I may run out of flannel shirts soon,” he teased lightly. 

Finn gave a little teary smile as he wrapped his arms around Gibbs. “Thank you, Jethro Gibbs,” he whispered.

“Thanks is the last thing I deserve,” Gibbs thought to himself as he returned the boy’s hug. “Do you think you can sleep?” he asked as he glanced at the clock on the nightstand. It was nearly 11:00. Finn just shook his head. “Want to come downstairs with Jack and me?” That got him a nod and a little smile. “You go ahead down,” Gibbs said as he pointed towards the bathroom.

Finn grabbed his stuffed dog off the bed and shoved his feet into his slippers before heading down the stairs.

Gibbs went into the bathroom, sat down on the edge of the tub and did a little deep breathing of his own. He wiped his face and took a few Advil with a handful of water before changing into his own pajamas and heading down to Jack and Finn.


	2. Chapter 2

Jack was pouring their tea when Gibbs got downstairs. Finn was huddled in the corner of the couch, wrapped up in Gibbs’ shirt, clutching the well-worn stuffed dog and rocking slightly. He caught Gibbs’ eye but quickly looked away, staring out the front window into the dark of the night. Gibbs let him be, taking Jack’s suggestion to let the boy take things at his own pace.

“He say anything?” Gibbs asked as he entered the kitchen and took the mug of tea Jack was holding out to him, noticing quickly she’d picked something without caffeine for him. He leaned against the counter, warming his hands on the mug.

“Not really,” she replied sadly. “Just curled up on the couch with his dog.”

“Finn, do you want tea or maybe hot chocolate?” Gibbs called in the general direction of the living room.

“No thank you, Jethro Gibbs,” came the polite and expected answer.

Jack chuckled lightly, “Does he always call you that?”

“Yeah, not sure why. And before you even think of saying anything, he doesn’t need to add the “Leroy” part too,” Gibbs muttered with a smirk.

“My lips are sealed,” Jack said as she crossed her heart.

They drank their tea in relative silence, waiting for Finn to talk or at least come into the same room as them. They heard him go down the hall towards the bathroom. Gibbs decided he would give him a few minutes before heading to check on him. That turned out not to be necessary, Finn wandered into the kitchen, clutching the dog in one hand and a tissue in the other. He wordlessly walked over to where Gibbs was still leaning against the counter. Wrapping his arms around Gibbs waist he pressed his cheek against the worn grey USMC t-shirt the older man was wearing. He set his mug on the counter and held the boy close, rubbing his back. Jack watched the scene from across the room, tears filling her eyes too.

“He’s shaking,” Gibbs whispered.

“Crying?” Jack asked as she crossed the room to the pair. Gibbs just shook his head.

“Hey Finn, you want to try the breathing thing again?” Jack offered as she ran her fingers through his dark hair. “Or how about something to drink?” 

“A drink,” Finn whispered as he untangled himself from Gibbs who took one look at the boy and knew he probably wasn’t capable of crossing to sit at the kitchen table under his own power. Gibbs just picked him up and set him on the counter between the stove and the fridge, a spot many of his agents over the years had ending up occupying for unknown reasons. Gibbs had been known to point out that he had perfectly good chairs to sit on, yet both Tony and Abby were known to hop up on that spot on the counter.

“Gatorade, water or soda?” Gibbs asked, pretty sure he knew what the answer was going to be. Phineas was the reason he even had Gatorade in the fridge.

“Blue Gatorade,” the boy whispered. 

“Hey Finn, take a few deep breaths with me,” Jack said as she motioned for Gibbs to hold off on giving him the bottle just yet. She reached for Finn’s left hand, the right one still holding the stuffed animal. She pressed her fingers against the inside of his wrist, checking his pulse. “It’s pretty fast,” she announced, answering Gibbs’ unspoken question. “Give us a few minutes,” she said softly, turning her attention back to Finn. Gibbs went into the living room to start a fire, both to give him something productive to do and to warm up the living room a little as he suspected they would be spending a good deal of time there during the night.

“Can we do the breathing thing again?” Finn asked quietly as he tried to open the bottle of Gatorade but failed as he was still rather shaky. Jack held out her hand and he gave it to her to open.

“Sure, how about you hop down and have a seat at the kitchen table,” Jack suggested as she handed him the drink. He sat down on one of the kitchen chairs, hugging his knees to his chest, stuffed dog on the table.

Jack pulled another chair in front of Finn and sat close so she could put her hands in his knees and whisper to him. They did a little deep breathing which did help a bit ,but she could tell he was still on edge, which was completely understandable. Finn wiped his eyes with his shirt sleeve and reached to take a drink. Jack grabbed her mug off the counter and poked her head in the living room to see what Gibbs was doing. He was sitting on the stool in front of the fire, distractedly poking at the logs. He was surprisingly still drinking his tea and hadn’t poured himself a glass of bourbon. She was sure that was only a matter of time. Finn blowing his nose brought her attention back to her young friend. He was still sitting in the chair, crossed legged and clutching the dog to his chest he looked even younger than he was.

“You want to try something else?” Jack asked as she brushed back his hair.

“Okay,” Finn whispered.

“Good. You know what your 5 senses are?” she asked. Finn nodded. “Great. I want to look around you and a name 5 things you can see with your eyes, anything at all.”

Finn took a few seconds to look around, probably trying to decide if there were right or wrong answers. “I see the light on over the stove, the ironing board, but I’ve never seen Jethro Gibbs iron anything, the laptop I left here, the coffee maker and the hoodie hanging on the basement door.” Jack smiled both at his responses and the fact that she heard Gibbs chuckle atthe ironing board comment.

“Okay, how about 4 things you can touch,” Jack said as she reached for her tea.

“My dog,” Finn answered as he stroked the well-loved stuffed animal in his lap. “The soft flannel shirt, the smooth table and your hand,” he replied, giving Jack’s hand a quick squeeze. His action brought forth a few tears from Jack, ones she had been trying to hold back.

“Awesome job. Next is 3 things you can hear. Might be a little hard, it’s pretty quiet in here,” Jack said softly.

“I can hear the clock ticking, the wind outside and the pipes making weird noises,” Finn answered, clearly taking his time with his answers, really concentrating.

“How about 2 things you can smell.”

“The fire in the fireplace and sawdust,” he answered, sniffing the shirt he was wearing.

“Two of my favorite smells,” Jack said with a smile. “And what do you think is the last one?”

“One thing I can taste. That’s the Gatorade,” Finn answered proudly.

“You did an awesome job with that. Do you know what that’s called?” Finn just shook his head. “It’s called a grounding technique. You can use it if you need to calm down a little or if you’re feeling overwhelmed. Helps to bring your mind back to the present. Make sense?”

“Yeah, so it grounds you, like a tree,” Finn guessed with a small smile.

“Exactly. And it’s something you can do anywhere.”

“Cool,” Finn whispered.

“Finn, do you have any questions about what happened tonight?” Jack asked carefully. Finn scooted off his seat and curled up in her lap, head on her shoulder.

“It is okay if I don’t want to talk about it?”

“Of course, it is. Jethro and I want you to be comfortable. And if not talking is what you want right now, that’s fine. But we’re here for you if you need anything.”

“I know,” Finn whispered as he took a deep, shaky breath. “Can I go see what Jethro Gibbs is doing in the living room?”

“Yep,” Jack answered as she gave the boy a quick hug before he slid to the floor, grabbed his dog and drink before heading to the living room. 

Jack turned the flame back on under the tea kettle before blowing her nose and doing a little deep breathing of her own. She reached for the hoodie on the back of the basement door and pulled it on, inhaling the comforting mixture of sawdust, coffee and bourbon.

She wandered into the living room to check on the “boys”. They were sitting in front of the fire, Gibbs on the stool, Finn sitting on the floor in front of him. Both were staring at the fire, lost in their thoughts, Gibbs absently running his fingers through the boy’s dark hair. Finn shifted a little, resting his head on Gibbs knee.

“Can you run up and grab his pillow and blanket?” Gibbs whispered to Jack.

“Yeah. You need anything?” she asked as she took a look at Finn. His eyes were fluttering closed and she hoped he’d just fall asleep.

“Grab my pillow too, I’m not leaving him down here alone.”

Jack went upstairs to grab the requested items from the bedrooms. She grabbed the two pillows from the master bedroom first and then went to the smaller bedroom. She flicked on the overhead light and a smile came to her face. The last time she’d seen the room, a year earlier, it was still basically Kelly’s room, lots of flowers and pink. The dated floral comforter was gone, replaced by a gray and blue plaid one, there were a few Lego creations on the bookcase and a baseball glove on the window seat. She hadn’t noticed any of the changes when she’d arrived an hour earlier. All her focus had been elsewhere. Clearly Gibbs had made an effort to make Phineas feel at home in his house. That realization started Jack’s tears all over again. 

She went into the bathroom to pull herself together. After splashing some water on her face, she pulled her hair back with a hair tie she’d left there weeks earlier. 

By the time she made it back downstairs, Finn was asleep, sitting and leaning against Gibbs’ legs.

“Hold him a second while I stand up,” Gibbs whispered. Jack held the boy steady so Gibbs could stand up and pick him up. Gibbs tried to just set him on the couch but Finn clearly had other ideas. “Hey, buddy it’s okay. Let’s just sit down here on the couch. I’m right here.”

“Okay Jethro Gibbs,” Finn muttered, half asleep.

Jack threw the blanket over both of them, hoping they just fall asleep together. 

Finn was out in a few minutes but Gibbs held him a little longer, to make sure he was sound asleep before trying to move him. Jack heard her cell phone chime in the kitchen and she went to check it. It was a text from a number she didn’t recognize but quickly realized it was from Ziva, checking up on things. She answered it quickly and vaguely. To say Ziva David was not her favorite person was an understatement.

When Finn was sleeping soundly, Gibbs was able to slide him onto the couch and tuck him in with his dog and a kiss to the forehead. He poked at the fire a little and went into the kitchen to pour himself a drink, something stronger than the decaf tea Jack had given him earlier. He found Jack looking at her phone, clearly trying to give him a little space.

“You want some?” Gibbs asked, waving the bottle in her direction.

“No, I’m good thanks,” Jack replied. “You want to talk about what happened or where we go from here?” she asked carefully. Not pressing him but making it known that she was willing to listen just like always.

“Do I want to, not particularly. Will I try, yeah,” Gibbs answered honestly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the kudos and comments.


	3. Chapter 3

Gibbs straddled one of the kitchen chairs while Jack got herself a bottle of water out of the fridge. He knocked back the rest of his drink and motioned for Jack to grab the bottle off the counter. She poured him a bit more and returned the bottle to the top of the fridge, ignoring the annoyed look she got in return.

“So,” he muttered, his usual way of starting a conversation he didn’t really want to have, or actually pretty much every conversation. 

“So what?” Jack replied.

“You were right, as usual. When I told you that Ziva needed help with one last thing before she left, you asked me “at what cost?” I blew that off comment, and look where we are,” he spit out, a bit louder than he had intended. Both he and Jack glanced in the direction of the living room to check on Finn. He didn’t move. “I get why Sarah moved next door, I get that she thought it would lead her to Ziva but what I don’t get is….how the hell did I fall for all of it?”

“Jethro, she was a pro, she knew exactly what she was doing. Why in the world would you suspect anything? A single mother with an adorable little boy who worships the ground you walk on, pretty much since the day he threw a baseball through your window. Wait you don’t think he did that on purpose, do you?” Jack asked, relatively sure she knew the answer.

“No way in hell Finn took aim and actually hit the window. That first day, I don’t think he could have hit the broad side of a barn,” Gibbs chuckled, thankful that Jack felt the need to lighten the mood just a bit. “But the way that kid feels about me will end the second I tell him I killed his mother,” Gibbs spit out as he stopped just short of slamming his glass down on the table. “She used her child like a pawn,” he whispered.

“While I agree with that, maybe she saw that you were good for Finn. She had to have known that things could end the way they did. I think she wanted you to be there for him. I’d like to think she ultimately had Finn’s best interest at heart.”

“Suppose so, she did leave him with me when she went out of town. Not to see an ex-husband apparently, but left him with me nonetheless. But I don’t think she planned on me taking her out,” Gibbs sighed. 

“You did what you did to save one of your own. She didn’t leave you with a choice, honey,” Jack said, the term of endearment flowing easily as she reached to tip his chin up to get him to look at her. His watery blue eyes met her brown ones. He nodded ever so slightly. 

“And I repaid a debt from years ago, when Ziva saved my life. But still I will regret taking that shot for as long as I live.” Jack just gave a weak smile and nodded. Gibbs sighed and rested his chin on his arms which were crossed over the back of the chair. 

“Does Finn have any other family?” Jack asked.

“No idea. Hell, I don’t even know if Finn is really her son. Could have taken him from someone, somewhere along the line for all I know,” Gibbs mused

“True,” Jack muttered, not really sure what to say about that comment.

“For the love of God Jack, how am I going to tell him what happened?” Gibbs asked as he wiped his face on his shirt sleeve. 

“When he’s ready, we’ll do it together,” Jack replied as she reached to give his hand a squeeze. Gibbs tried his best to stifle a yawn but he was unsuccessful. 

“Think you can get some sleep?” Jack asked as she stood up. She walked behind Gibbs and put her hands on his shoulders, pulling him back against her chest. 

“I don’t know,” he muttered as he wrapped his hands around her arms.

“Why don’t you at least try?” Jack suggested. She wanted him to settle down as she knew him well enough to know that if he didn’t, he would eventually get a second wind and be up all night.

“I’ll try,” he whispered as he stood up. “I’ll be right back down,” he said, making it clear he had no intention of being very far from Finn. Jack watched as he went upstairs to brush his teeth. He all but pulled himself up using the banister. It was like everything had suddenly drained out of him and the weight of what had happened had come crashing down on his shoulders. 

Jack washed the mugs and turned out the lights in the kitchen. She went into the living room. Finn was still at the end of the couch, curled up in an impossibly tight little ball, his dog clutched in his grasp. The fire was dying a bit, but she knew Gibbs would tend to it when he got back down. Jack curled up in the corner of the couch, her legs stretched towards the end where Finn lay sleeping.

Just as expected, Gibbs stoked the fire a bit when came back downstairs. He set the poker on the hearth and sat down on the edge of the couch, next to Jack. She sat up a little and tentatively reached to rub his back a bit. Despite trying not to, he flinched a bit at her touch. But she was used to it and just kept her hand on his back until he scooted just a little bit closer to her. Jack reached over him to grab the pillow off the end of the couch. She put it in her lap and Gibbs wordlessly curled up. 

Jack tossed the blanket over him and ran her fingers through his hair. She thought about maybe trying to continue their conversation, but he was asleep within minutes. 

Sleep didn’t come as quickly to Jack but she was content to stay where she was. She tried to figure out just how she and Gibbs were going to explain to Finn what had happened. She had a few ideas but they were of course, all going to end in more heartbreak for their little friend.  
Finn squirmed a little in his sleep a few times but didn’t wake up, Gibbs did the same. Eventually Jack nodded off, one arm thrown over Gibbs’ chest, her feet tangled up with Finn’s.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm a bit torn about whether or not to write "the conversation" between Phineas and Gibbs. On one hand I think it would be interesting to write, on the other, I want to see how it plays out on the show.
> 
> Guess we'll just have to see what my muse decides!!
> 
> Thanks for the kudos and comments, they keep me going.


	4. Chapter 4

The sound of Finn screaming, “Jethro Gibbs” jolted both Jack and Gibbs awake in a split second. Gibbs all but climbed over the coffee table half asleep to reach the little boy. 

“Wait,” Jack suggested when she realized Finn might possibly still be asleep. 

Gibbs stopped short of picking Finn up. He knelt next to the couch and just put a gentle hand on the boy’s shoulder. Finn stopped screaming and opened his eyes. When he focused enough to realize where he was, he launched himself at Gibbs, catching the older man slightly off balance. Both of them ended up on the floor together. Jack turned on the light on the end table, pushed the coffee over a little and joined the pair.

“Sweetie, are you really awake?” Jack asked gently as she brushed the hair off Finn’s damp forehead. 

“Maybe,” he whispered as he tucked his head under Gibb’s chin and clutched his dog to his chest. Gibbs chuckled a little and reached over his shoulder to grab Finn’s blanket off the couch, tossing it haphazardly over the two of them. 

“How about a drink?” Jack suggested. She didn’t get an answer. Finn wasn’t crying, just whimpering a little. She wasn’t really happy with how much the boy was shaking or how out of control his breathing was getting. After sitting wrapped up in Gibbs arms for a little while he began to squirm, trying to get free. “Let him go,” Jack whispered as she moved the blanket out of the way so Finn could stand up. 

Finn headed in the direction of the kitchen, the opening of the fridge cast a band of light and shadows through the room. He shifted the dog to his other hand to reach for a bottle of Gatorade. Unlike the bottle he had earlier, he managed to open this one himself. He took a few sips and walked towards the front door. Looking over his shoulder he tried the door; it was as usual, not locked.

“Phineas, where are you going?” Gibbs called as he scrambled to his feet to go after the boy.

“I need air,” the boy muttered. 

“It’s the middle of the night, buddy,” Gibbs said as he knelt down next to the boy, knees protesting the action. 

“Please, Jethro Gibbs,” Finn pleaded quietly.

Jack came up behind the pair, holding a jacket for Gibbs and Finn’s blanket. “Take him out for a few minutes,” she said as handed Gibbs the jacket and wrapped Finn up in the blanket. Gibbs picked the boy up so he didn’t trip over the blanket. The weather had been unseasonably warm for December in DC, a few minutes outside wouldn’t hurt either of them. 

Jack picked up the bottle of Gatorade Finn had set down on the small table in the foyer, the one Gibbs had been working on Christmas Eve a year earlier, the first night Jack had hung out with him at his house. She ran her finger over the carving of the boat, smiling at the memory of the first time she’d seen the mysterious basement she’d heard so much about. There were recent pictures of Victoria, John, Morgan and Tali on the top shelf. On the middle shelf was a picture of Kelly in a small silver frame. Next to it was a picture of Gibbs and Phineas standing in front of the boy’s science project. Both were wearing protective eyewear and grinning from ear to ear. Running her finger over the image, Jack took a deep breath. She stuck her head out the door to check on the pair. They were on the rocker in the corner of the porch huddled together. Both were awake, she could hear them whispering but she couldn’t make out what they were saying. She caught Gibbs’ eye and he gave her a wink and a little smile. She smiled in return and headed inside. A quick glance at the clock on the mantle told her it a little after 3 in the morning. 

“What an endless night,” she muttered to herself as she put the coffee table back where it belonged and padded into the kitchen for a glass of water. She was contemplating putting water on for tea when she heard the front door open and hurried footsteps heading down the hall. “Gibbs, everything okay?” she asked as she followed the pair.

“Nope,” he yelled over his shoulder.

By the time Jack got to the pair they were in the bathroom, poor Finn was getting sick and Gibbs was looking beyond helpless. She flicked the light on and made a quick assessment of the situation. Thankfully they had made it to the bathroom in time. She knelt next to Finn, holding his head and rubbing his back, giving Gibbs a chance to stand up and slip off his jacket. 

“I’m sorry Jethro Gibbs,” Finn sobbed when the retching stopped and he was able to catch his breath. 

“Nothing to be sorry about buddy,” Gibbs assured him as he wet a washcloth and wiped the boy’s face. Jack flushed and wrapped Finn back up in the blanket which had ended up in the corner of the room. 

“Why don’t you too just hang here for a couple minutes. I’ll grab the Gatorade,” Jack suggested.

By the time Jack got back to the bathroom the two were sitting on the floor huddled against the tub. Gibbs had his long legs stretch out in front of him, Finn sitting between them, leaning against Gibb’s chest. Tiny tears were still threatening to fall from the boy’s eyes but he made no effort to wipe them away. He was still visibly shaking and taking some halting breaths. Gibbs met Jack’s eye as she crouched next to him. He gave a watery smile and she reached to wipe away a tear with her thumb. She got Finn to take a few little sips of the Gatorade. He was starting to calm down a little. Jack knelt down and pressed a kiss to his forehead, checking his temperature. He was cool.

“You need anything,” Jack asked Gibbs as she stood up and turned off the overhead light. 

“Coffee?” he asked hopefully.

“Not a chance cowboy. Give him a few more minutes and we’ll get the hell out of the bathroom.”

“Language Jack,” Finn muttered, half asleep. Both Gibbs and Jack chuckled at the boy’s correction, it was one both of them used with the team numerous times when Finn was in the office.

“You ready to get the heck out of the bathroom,” Gibbs asked a few minutes later, using language acceptable for a 9 year old.

Finn nodded and let Jack pull him to his feet. Gibbs closed the door behind the pair so he could use the bathroom. 

“You want to go back to the couch?” Jack asked as they walked down the hall. She had her arm around Finn who seemed to have stopped shaking, for the time being. 

“If I go upstairs to my…to the other bedroom, will you and Jethro Gibbs sleep upstairs?” he asked quietly.

Gibbs heard the boy’s question as he was coming down the hall. “Yes, Phineas, if you sleep in your room upstairs, Jack and I will be in my room,” Gibbs said simply as he picked the boy up and carried him upstairs. 

Gibbs and Jack tucked the boy in, left the hall light on and both bedroom doors open. Gibbs sat down on his bed with a sigh. He leaned over, elbows on his knees, head in his hands. Jack sat on the bed next to him, resting a gentle hand on his back. 

“What happened outside?” she asked quietly.

“I don’t know, we were sitting on the rocker. For a minute I thought he was going to start asking questions. To be honest, at 3 in the morning, I was hoping he wouldn’t start a serious conversation. He started getting upset again. I think he just got himself so worked up. He mumbled something about “barf”, and I knew we were in trouble,” Gibbs said with a little chuckle. “Not sure how we managed to make it inside without my tripping over his blanket and dropping the poor kid.”

“Thankfully you made it,” Jack teased as she patted him on the hip to get him to stand up. Gibbs stood up just long enough for Jack to pull back the covers and motion for him to crawl in bed. He was asleep in a matter of minutes.

Jack didn’t fall asleep as quickly as the boys. She kept listening for sounds coming from Finn’s room. He talked in his sleep a little but didn’t seem to wake up. Next to her, Gibbs was snoring softly. He was sleeping soundly, which was surprising to her. On a good day he didn’t really sleep all that well.

A little after 4:00 Jack finally drifted off with Gibbs curled up next to her, his head on her shoulder, arm thrown over her waist, as natural as can be.

*******

Jack rolled over and squinted at the bright morning light. She stretched a little, her feet coming in contact with something at the end of the bed. Sitting up she found the bed a little more crowded than it had been a few hours earlier. Finn was curled up at the end of the bed, wrapped up in his blanket, still asleep. A huge smile came across her face as she carefully crawled out of the bed, trying not to wake either of the boys. 

“Jack,” Finn whispered as he wiped the sleep from his eyes.

“It’s still early, buddy. Why don’t you try to go back to sleep?” Jack suggested as she motioned for him to crawl up to the head of the bed and get under the covers. 

“Okay,” he muttered sleepily as he dragged his dog and blanket and got under the covers Jack was holding up for him. She pressed a kiss to his forehead before walking to the other side of the bed and straightening the blankets over Gibbs. He was sprawled out on his stomach, one hand resting on Jack’s pillow. She kissed his cheek and turned to leave the room. Giving a glance over her shoulder she saw Finn grab Gibbs’ hand and settle back down.

With the first tears of the day, and most likely not the last, Jack went downstairs, leaving behind the sleeping pair. She felt no need to wake them. They’d all be facing the cold, hard light of day soon enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After seeing the previews and reading a few things about the new episode, I decided to leave this where it is, without writing a chapter where Gibbs tells Phineas what happened.
> 
> Thanks for your kudos and comments.


End file.
